Chapter 8: The Zombie That Likes to Take a Bath

Thursday, January 31, 2013. It had been a month since the virus broke out. Eleven days had passed since Zhang Xiaoqiang came down from the rooftop. He still persevered in his daily exercise. The number of frog jumps had increased from 2,000 to 3,000. He added push - ups, sit - ups, high - knee raises and other items. Now his main close - combat weapon was the iron spear, and the long - range weapon was the MP9 sniper crossbow. Whether in close - combat or long - range, his aim was not good. Only by doubling his hard training would he be likely to survive in the increasingly difficult days.

He made a forward lunge in a horse stance. The strength of his waist, driving his arm, passed through his wrist and stabbed the iron spear out. Once, once, and again. Tens of thousands of practices in 11 days had made Zhang Xiaoqiang more and more proficient in using the iron spear. The huge amount of daily exercise had made his small belly disappear, and there were traces of muscles on his chest. A large number of leg exercises had made his body more and more flexible. At least he no longer gasped for breath after running a few steps.

Thinking back to the first few days, the large amount of exercise made Zhang Xiaoqiang's whole body sore and he was restless. It took nearly a week to get through it. Although it was the end of the world, at this moment, his state was better than ever. He couldn't remember how many years he hadn't exercised before!

Sweating a lot every day, the water reserves of Zhang Xiaoqiang were gradually decreasing. Not being able to take a bath also made his body emit a sour and unpleasant smell, which was rather uncomfortable. But he didn't care much. He was already used to the stench of corpses. What could be more unpleasant than that?

"Hoo..." Zhang Xiaoqiang put down the iron spear, picked up the mineral water bottle, unscrewed the cap, took a sip from the bottle mouth, held it in his mouth, and then slowly swallowed it after a while. Although he still felt thirsty, he still put the cap back on and placed the bottle on the table. He looked at his watch. It was already five o'clock in the afternoon. Habitually, he picked up the binoculars and came to the window.

The heavy rain had been pouring since 11 days ago. The sky was as dark as ink with a little faint light, making the outside hazy. The zombies downstairs stood quietly in the rain like telegraph poles, filling the entire street, presenting an unusual scene.

Through the binoculars, he saw the zombies raising their heads and opening their big mouths to catch the rain. Although he couldn't see any expression on the zombies' faces, Zhang Xiaoqiang could feel that they liked the rain very much. It seemed that even their desire for flesh and blood had become less important.

This was a very strange feeling. Zhang Xiaoqiang had never had a sixth sense before and thought that the sixth sense was nonsense. But now this feeling appeared inexplicably in his mind. Subconsciously, he involuntarily thought that this feeling was right. He put down the binoculars, patted his face with his hands, and wanted to forget this somewhat strange idea that made him feel a bit eerie. He picked up a soft - pack of "Huanghelou" cigarettes, took out one, lit it, and sat on the bed, staring blankly at the curling smoke rings in the air. That inexplicable feeling not only didn't disappear but became even stronger. Suddenly, a strong impulse surged in Zhang Xiaoqiang's heart to give it a try. At this moment, the violent gene hidden deep in his blood overwhelmed his reason. He stood up and found a raincoat.

Putting on the raincoat, Zhang Xiaoqiang picked up the iron spear and went out. He walked across the platform outside the door and went down the stairs to the first floor. The heavy rain in 11 days had caused some water accumulation downstairs. The heavy rain had diluted the stench of corpses in the air. He took a deep breath, as if he hadn't smelled air without the stench of corpses for many years. Although there was no stench of corpses, there was an additional rusty smell in the air, like that of rusting iron.

The zombies in the garden, like their companions on the street, stood in the rain with their big mouths open to catch the rain. Zhang Xiaoqiang bent over and tiptoed towards the garden. The heavy rain kept falling into the puddles at his feet, creating countless ripples. When he lifted his feet, small sprays of water in the puddles turned into small rings and spread outwards.

"Thirty meters, twenty meters. He was getting closer and closer to the zombies. His heart rate accelerated. He tightened his hands holding the iron spear, took two deep breaths in a row, and continued to approach the zombies. Ten meters, five meters, two meters..."

Zhang Xiaoqiang stood about two meters away from the zombie, raised the iron spear, aimed at the zombie's head, and was ready to stab at any time, observing carefully. The zombie seemed to pay no attention to Zhang Xiaoqiang standing next to it. It just raised its head to catch the rain. He found that after being in the rain for a few days, the emaciated cheeks of the zombie began to become plump again. There was also some flesh on its claws, and the bones were not so obvious.

Zhang Xiaoqiang took two steps back and checked the surroundings in the dim light. The number of zombies in the garden had increased from more than 30 to more than 40. Many zombies in the corridors and houses had also come out and were all outside in the rain.

Zhang Xiaoqiang looked back at his escape route, ready to run at any time. He raised the iron spear and stabbed it at the zombie's head. Tens of thousands of stabbing practices had paid off today. The iron spear stabbed into the zombie's eye socket and then was rotated and pulled out. The zombie fell onto the grass full of rainwater, splashing water everywhere.

Zhang Xiaoqiang was afraid of waking up other zombies and turned around and ran. After running more than 10 meters, he looked back. All the zombies were still standing still in their original positions. He immediately became excited. Zombies that didn't move were more enjoyable to kill!

Seeing that the sky was getting darker and darker, Zhang Xiaoqiang rushed over.

The 21st zombie fell under Zhang Xiaoqiang's iron spear. Finally, the route to the grocery store was cleared. Now the visibility was getting lower and lower, and he had to hurry up.

He rushed to the front of the grocery store, dealt with the boss who had turned into a zombie, and Zhang Xiaoqiang rushed in. Unable to find the light switch, he found a large cardboard box and stuffed everything he grabbed into it. Finally, after stuffing a few cartons of cigarettes, it was almost full. He carried two cases of mineral water, tied them with a woven belt, and carried them on his shoulder with the iron spear, walking towards home.

The iron spear with water and supplies on it pressed down on Zhang Xiaoqiang like a huge mountain, making it hard for him to breathe. The galvanized water pipe rubbed against his shoulder, and the burning pain constantly eroded his nerves. He gritted his teeth and walked step by step towards home. The road was already a bit unclear. The heavy rain was still falling. The cold rain in January poured in from the collar of his raincoat, constantly taking away the heat from his body.

He could only persevere. His legs began to go weak, and his arms trembled as he held the iron spear. With a breath held in his heart, he rushed towards home. Finally, he stepped onto the platform. When he saw his home, he seemed to have a little more strength. With his last bit of strength, he rushed into the corridor entrance.

As soon as one foot stepped into the corridor entrance and the other foot hadn't been withdrawn, he could no longer hold on. He fell forward to the ground with the supplies on the iron spear. Zhang Xiaoqiang lay on the ground, gasping for breath. He struggled to turn around and lay flat on the cement floor, looking up at the slanted stairs and the ceiling, breathing heavily.

Seven or eight minutes later, Zhang Xiaoqiang recovered his breath. He sat up and leaned against the wall. Mineral water, rice, canned dace with black bean sauce, various biscuits, and cigarettes were scattered around him.

"Ha! Ha - ha! Ha - ha - ha..."

Zhang Xiaoqiang laughed loudly, continuously. Laughter kept spraying out of his mouth, and tears kept streaming out of his eyes, flowing down his cheeks, dripping from his chin, and merging with the rain on his raincoat.